Method of increasing the life of dry cells



@et Mr R924. LSE 151,2?1

H, DE OLANETA METHOD OF INCREASING THE LIFE OF DRY CELLS 'original Filed Dec. 22 1919 Seme? Heee@ mf. QLANETA, @E

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSGNE?, T@

ERMEATING .AE/MS GOEEPANY, U1? NEW EIVE', QNNECTECUT, A GGQ'PEPUATEUN 'METHOD GF EBCRESENG TEE LSFE @F GENES.

@iguiie application led December 22, 19M?, Serial No. 31,%

Serial Rm Wf.

may 3, 195,0.

To all whom may cof/wem:

Be it known that ii, HAROLD DE LANETA, of New Haven, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, heile imlented certain new and ueeiiui improvements in Methods of increasing the Life oDiy Ceiis7 o which the 'followig is ai fail, dem', and exact descriptien.

` This invention reiates to gavemic eeiis, eind more pei-tcuiei'iy te i'y Celis.

This eppiicetien is e division @i my ep- ?plieeien Serial Ne. 846,694, filed December 22nd, 15H9., enti pertains moie 'especially to l ehe metile@ ineieesing eine life of 'die oeil.

iii. -fiify Celis type new found on ehe meiew in ieige numbers, enel especiaiiifa fan-ese use Zim" pocket ieeh iights e? hemd iemps, the eine eieereeie is in the :imm e cup whieii aire contained e eeihei elecm @facie Wiiii e eur'ioundiig body e'eiefoieizimg4 :meterieia find e@ imei n 'paeie mixing; mix-Teme u manganese elimini @ei-- is usuaiiy meisieiieei zien. @etnie-aiming emmeiiium ie'id emi 'ie'.ri'i? se es @he pessege cem ene eiee'iee eiier ed pefe,

e usuel same et diffei'eiit parte ehe cup. Under y)preseiiz eoiiditieiis'of manufacture and dislonge?, owing te delays in. peeking emi e@ shippinf. Fuihtl'iermeie, when they ieave die fecory ie takes some time for ehem te reach the ietaiiei, end, el@ eeurse, they .may remain en the ehei of ihe ieeiiei oi e 10mg pel-'tied 'be'.eie 'they eie pmehesed used. Consequeiiy when e eeii is iimeiiy putim@ use? giie eine @up is iikeiy te se eensieiebiy eee-en eff/Vey, @ed @ne eeive iiie of E'Liie eeii isi, tiieiecre, eeiieiisiy impeiieei.

@ne e fiile piimery ebjec's my iiwen tio@ is be eliminate the above memienee im' es possi-bie TL eeii. Whieh ee'aion sai emmeeiee en ibie ziie Wiiie iiie eeii ie is im iie Sheff is avoided u ge exien; im enz'eiem dees me lieve e'ilcieney j ein ieee bei, maximum eieiemy seme aime 'iieieefve in A@iii-ei Wefs et einem; i; imn: M L

Another object, therefore, of my present invention is to overcome these difficulties and disadvantages incident to the manufacture of the cells.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in a method of making a dry cell having a depolarizing body surrounding one electrode and a paste interposed between the depolarizing bod f and the other electrode, which comprises t e incorporation of the principal electrolyte salt in the depolarizing` body, but not in the paste, as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention also consists in other steps and novel features, as hereinafter set forth.

'llhe accompanying drawing shows in vertical, central section a dry cell made in accordance with the invention.

'lhe cell comprises the usual zinc cup l constituting the positive electrode. rlihe negative carbon electrode 2 has tamped about the same a block or cartridge 3 of suitable depolarizing material; and interposed between the side Wall of the cup and the depolarizing material is a paste 4:. The depolarizing cartridge is usually contained in a bag 01 envelope 5 of cheese cloth or the like. It is centered in the cup at the bottom by a suitable centering Washer 6. At the to of the cel-l the latter is sealed in any suitable manner, as by a pitch seal 7 on top ot a paper washer 8. The carbon electrode is provided with the usual contact cap 9.

ln carrying out my invention, li provide a goaste which is initially devoid of sal ammoniac. The paste is preferably composed ci wheat hour or some other cereal, zinc chlorid solution, and a mercury compound. lin making up a batch of paste for the manufacture or a number of cells, l mix together, for example, lmilograms of Wheat flour, 5@ litres of zinc chlorid solution at 27 Baume, and 12.5 grams of mercurio chlorid. rlhe ingredients are mined together until all of the deur is dissolved, and the mass is stirred, while bein, cooked, until a stid paste is formed. he cooking is eilecte'd before the paste is placed in the cell.

The depolariaing body preferably com-- prises a mixture ont manganese dioxid, graphite, and ammoniac; for example, in the proportions ol 37.5 units or manganese hydrate, units of graphite and l0 units or. sal ammoniac. These ingredients, which in .a line state olf subdivision, are mined with water until the is plastic homogeneous, whereupon it is formed, into the blocl or cartridge it about the carbon electrode in a manner wel; rniderstood in the art.

The paste hee does not have to r a the rect 'the septic the minori '.lhe drawbacks incident to the incorporation 1n the paste of ammonium chlorid, which is a bacterial food, are eliminated.

When the cell is first put together, the ammonium chlorid does not immediately com-1 mence its attack on the zinc, owing to the fact that it must first traverse the paste. 'llie sal ammoniac passes out only gradually from the cartridge into the paste and to the zinc. rlhus the cell is not at maximum e@- ciency when irst assembled, as is ordinarily the case, but reaches maximum etlicienc after a definite interval has passed, depend ing upon the distance between the depolarizingr cartridge and the side wall of the .Zinc cup. For example, with the smaller sizes of cells commonly used for pocket flash lights, the distance which has to be traversed by the sal ammoniac before it reaches the zinc, iS such that maximum eliciency is not obtained for a period varying" from two Weeks to a month. In a larger size, Where the sal ammoniac has to traverse a greater distance, the conditions usually obtaining in a freshly made cell do not obtain for approximately three months. Therefore there is likelihood that the cell will not reach its maximum efficiency until about the time that it is placed in use. At any rate the life of the cell in the hands of the consumer is considerably increased owing to the :tact that the length of time that the sal ammoniac acts on the zinc revious to the use ot the cell, is considerab y reduced.

ln the case under discussion, the sal ammoniac passes l outward through the porous envelope 5 ol the cartridge into the paste and to the zinc, and the zinc chlorid in the paste passes into the cartridge; but it will be apparent that the invention is not limited to a cell wherein the depolarizing cartridge has a porous envelope. Begardless of whether vor not an envelope is employed, the paste taires up sal ammoniac from the cartridge and the cartridge taires up zinc chlorid from the paste. Furthermore, these substances are distributed as needed for the best Working of the cell.

Heretofore, in manufacturing cells wherein the paste contained both eine chlcrid ammonium chlorid, there was considerablel ditliculty in properly proportioning these tivo substancesu lit was necessary to Weigh the substances and to compare the density of their solutions, etc., and even where great care was exercised in compounding; the paste, the results were not always sottis factory. ln the present case, however, the process of manufacture is considerably simplilied, because it is not necessary to mi the chloride and because such attemptinc to reach a definite pro n ci the ingredien unnecessary.

my improved cell the aoniumf;A

or supplica to and taken up with the cup after the cell has been assemloled for a certain length of time.

8. The method of increasing the life of a dry cell having a zinc cup and an activating electrolyte, which consists in locating such electrolyte at some distance from the surface of the cup and utilizing the inltrating property of the -electrolyte for bringing about attack on the zinc some time after the cell has been assembled.

9. The method of increasing the life of a dry cell having a. cup and a contained eleotrolyte, which consists in surrounding the electrolyte by. a relatively inert paste and employing the dilusion 'of the electrolyte to bring about the action thereof on the cup.

10. The method of increasing the life of a dry cell having a zinc cup and an ammonium chlorid electrolyte, which consists in utilizing the di'nsive property of the electrolyte for bringing aloout a retarded attack of the saine on the zinc.

11. The method of increasing the life of a dry cell, which comprises postponing the attack of the electrolyte on the zinc by utilizing the iniltrating property of the electrolyte for bringing about a retarded contact.

12. The method of bringing about a retarded cortact of the electrolyte with the cup in a dry cell, which consists in utilizing the di'usive property of the electrolyte to carry it slowly over an intervening space.

13. The method of increasing the ite of a dry cell, which consists in causing the activating electrolyte to be diused through a paste before contacting with the zinc.

14. The method of increasing the life of a dry cell, which consists in locating the activating electrolyte Within the zinc cup at some distance therefrom and causing it to iilter slowly through a relatively inert paste into contact With the cup..

15. The method of increasing the life of a dry cell, which consists in utilizing the difitusion of the. electrolyte to bring about a retarded action of the latter on the metal electrode.

16. r.the method of increasin a dry cell havin a zinc cup an a contained electrolyte, Whic l consists in initially separating such electrolyte from the zinc cn and bringing the 'former into contact Wit 'the latter some time after the cell has been assembled by the infiltration of such elec trolyte through a relatively inert paste.

ln Witness whereof, l have hereunto set my hand on the 30th day ot April, 1920.

HAR@ LD nn LNETA.

the life of 

